The training we had received under Blossom: Training were organized into modules. With a class size of around 12, we conducted our lessons in a variety of manners. We made use of discussion, presentation, facilitation and role-playing to bring across certain points. I will make use of this entry to revise the concepts we had learnt, as well as to share some of the useful techniques to conducting discussions and meetings.
1. Self introduction
Having a round of self-introduction enables the leader to quickly assess the profile the members.
2. Setting Expectations
Setting groundrules helps to communicate mutual expectations amongst participants in a team. More importantly, these rules should not be seen as coming from the leaders only. Spending some time discussing the rules, rather than taking a top-down approach, ensures that members are more likely to abide by their own words. Below are some pointers for our facilitating discussion.
•Do not call groundrules groundrules, call them something else e.g. agreement/expectations.
• Leaders should help in facilitating and eliciting, do not just give rules.
• Lead the members in the direction/rules u have in mind.
• Allow the members to understand the rationale behind the groundrules. E.g.
o Rule: Only one person talk at one time
o Rationale: Enable members to pay attention to the speaker.
• Groundrules evolve according to situations. There is no need to cast the groundrules in stone.
• This exercise can be applied in different contexts, i.e. ways to create a meaningful YEP experience, respecting the locals, personal safety etc.
• Difficulties in setting groundrules
o Difficulties in enforcing groundrules, especially people who repeatedly break the rules.
• By making the members come out with their own items, the behavior of the team can be regulated by peer pressure.
3. What is a YEP project
Understanding the nature of a YEP project will enable a team to have a more realistic expectation of what they can achieve.
• Humanitarian Assistance Vs Development Assistance
Most volunteer projects can be categorized into the above categories.
Humanitarian assistance is usually used to describe disaster relief efforts. This can include medical assistance or rescue efforts. It tends to be more urgent in nature and has a shorter duration.
Development assistance takes place during peacetime, possibly after a disaster. This involved building and construction. It is a less urgent and takes place over a longer period of time. Nonetheless, such assistance is equally important.
YEP teams do not do any disaster relief as most teams lack the technical expertise. Thus most people would probably think that YEP is part of development assistance. Surprisingly, YEP actually does not fall into either of the categories.
o Lack of time. A typical YEP project lasts 3 weeks and most teams probably spend around 10 days doing the actual work.
o Lack of funds. A typical team spend around $5000 on the project costs, the majority of the funding is spent on transport and other items which may not be direct project costs.
o Lack of expertise. A typical team usually consists of youths with little technical expertise to offer to the locals. Imagine a group of students going to Cambodia teaching the farmers how to farm, or teaching school children English. We may even have trouble grasping the concept of pedagogy.
Recognising the various limitations faced by a YEP, the direct impact such a project can be brought to the locals may not be as great as one will think. With this in mind, a YEP is actually developed for Youth Development. By exposing the youth to a different and difficult environment, YEP hopes to develop resilient and caring people who will go on with the spirit of giving to others.
4. The YEP Model (Home Run)
A YEP lasts for around 4-6 months. Differing from common perceptions that a YEP culminates at the overseas trip, there is much to do prior and after the trip. Thus the name HomeRun. YEP consists of 3 phases – Pre-expedition, Expedition and Post-expedition. It has a comprehensive framework that prepares participants for the overseas trip, being inspired during the expedition and coming back to continue share their knowledge with fellow Singaporeans.
Since Project Waterloo is water-related, preferably the local projects should be water-related so that our work remains consistent.
5. Goals and Objectives
The Goal is where we want to be.
The Objectives are the steps needed to get there.
Goals and Objectives should be SMART.
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Realistic
T – Time bound
With regards to being realistic, there are certain statements that we should avoid, e.g. We want to alleviate and eradicate poverty. Big No-No. A better statement to make will be “We are part of an existing effort to…”
6. Politically sensitive words (Eliminate Colonialism)
Teams need to be aware of their actions and words to avoid being insensitive to our overseas partners and communities. While we may list down some of the words to be avoided, it is more important that we inculcate the correct mentality towards our overseas community.
These words include poor, needy, disadvantaged. The rationale is obvious, we do not want to hurt others’ feelings.
Even words such as “improving their lives” should be avoided. What makes us think that they need us to “improve” their living. Worst still, we may even say things like “We want to share BETTER knowledge” or “Improve their knowledge”. Instead of using “Beneficiaries”, we can use “Counterparts” to indicate that we are working on an equal basis. It may seem frivolous to us, most of us probably do not mean to appear superior to the locals. Nonetheless, it will go a long way in developing our communication skills if we practice this advice.
7. PR Soundbites
Our PR soundbite sounds something like this…
8. Tools (I) - Experiential Learning Cycle (ELC)
An example in which we can adopt this model is as follows,
Experience – YEP provides a wealth of experiences beyond our normal life.
Reflection – Ensures that this experiences will not be lost, by creating opportunities to reflect upon one’s actions.
Rationalise – Enables one to place this experience in the correct perspective and explore the underlying issues, e.g. what had caused the locals to live in poverty.
Action – Looking out for opportunities and avenues to do something about the issue.
9. Tools(II) – YEP Learning Pyramid
10. Tools (III) – Microskills to facilitation: ACTS
The following tool is very useful in facilitating discussions. It allows you to rely on the wisdom of others within your team and give others a say during discussions.
A – Acknowledge what others had say
C – Clarify any doubts
T – Tai-chi the issue to engage the rest of the team
S – Summarise issues that were discussed
